Spring 2016 Volume 8, Issue 1
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Spring 2016 Volume 8, Issue 1 Psychology & Neuroscience News A New Initiative in Affective Science CASL’s first annual Emotion Research Day was held in April 2015 at the University of Denver and was a joint venture between CU and DU. What makes the study of emotions so compelling? As- flect this: Professor Gruber is a member of the de- sistant Professor June Gruber, a faculty member of our partment’s clinical and social areas, Professor Leaf Van department, hints at the appeal of a riveting mystery Boven is in the social area, and Professor Tor Wager is story. “Broadly, this is about shedding a light on the in the cognitive area. mysteries of human nature. Emotions are an essential CASL’s founders feel strongly about the importance of part of what makes us human. But surprisingly, there interdisciplinary work in this field, not only across areas are still a lot of mysteries as to exactly what emotions of psychology, but across different disciplines. “At the are and how we can harness them to lead healthier and cutting edge of this science are attempts to measure happier lives.” emotion across multiple levels, meaning integrating in- These ideas have prompted a new initiative that strives formation from the cellular level all the way up to peo- for an interdisciplinary approach to understanding emo- ple’s self-reports about their own well-being,” Professor tion, called Colorado Affective Sciences Laboratories Gruber says. “Bringing together interdisciplinary teams (CASL, pronounced “castle”). In addition to drawing is essential to the success of this multi-level work. You attention from departments outside of psychology, it need teams of people with specializations in a variety of has piqued the interest of multiple areas across our de- disciplines like neuroimaging, mental health, language partment, and the backgrounds of its co-founders re- analysis, and behavioral observation, working as a team, not just as individuals.” Table of Contents CASL reaches out to foster academic dialogue and col- Message from the Chair! 2 laboration among these and other disciplines, including the various areas in our department, and even involving The Sutherland Center! 2 academic communities throughout Colorado. The ro- Research News! 4 bust group of CASL’s 60 members (and growing) gives Faculty News! 5 a sense of this range: though composed primarily of Undergraduate Research! 5 psychology students and faculty, fields such as philoso- Alumni Spotlight: Carl Castro! 6 phy, art, business and marketing, environmental studies, and integrative physiology are also represented. “It In Memoriam: Sean Hudson! 7 seems like this was a critical gap across the university Donate to the Department! Back Cover that needed to be filled,” Professor Gruber says. (Continued on page 3) Psychology & Neuroscience News Message from the Chair In my remarks at our Winter 2015 gradua- even during his all too brief time with us, tion, I mentioned that “it is never too early Sean was a very positive influence within to start making contributions.” That sen- his graduate student family, the social timent, shared by Dr. Tina Pittman Wa- program and our department as a whole, gers, runs throughout this newsletter. One as well as with the undergraduates whom example is that of Colonel and Professor he taught. This newsletter captures and Carl Castro (see the article on page 6), supports the notion that each of us can who earned his PhD from CU-Boulder contribute to making a difference by shin- with Professor Jerry Rudy. His work as a ing our light. That light not only illumi- graduate student foreshadowed the sig- nates who we are, but also is sufficiently nificant contributions Colonel Castro bright to lead the way for others. The light would make throughout his career to both that shines in us and from us—this is the military mental health and military science. The article power we hold. on undergraduate research in this issue (see page 5) On a final note…This will be my last Message from the echoes this sentiment: Michaela Palumbo is already Chair in our newsletter since I am transitioning to a making contributions through her work as a research new position as the Associate Dean for Research in the assistant to Professor Ryan Bachtell. Perhaps most College of Arts and Sciences at CU-Boulder. Know poignant, however, is when these early contributions that it has been my pleasure to make contributions to are tragically cut short and not allowed to come to full the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience as bloom. This was the case with our graduate student Chair for the past three years. Sean Hudson. In his In Memoriam on page 7, Sean’s graduate advisor Josh Correll so eloquently states that –Theresa D. Hernández Getting to Know the Sutherland Center The Sutherland Center was established to assist those with bipolar disorder who do not have the financial means to receive help and treatment. Located on the CU-Boulder campus, the Center is in the Raimy Clinic in the Muenzinger Building. The Center was initially given a grant from family and friends of the late Robert Sutherland Sr., a prominent businessman and philanthropist who also suffered from bipolar disorder and received treatment for his illness so he could manage his life successfully. The Center’s mission is to help those impacted by bipolar disorder with diagnosis, treatment, comprehensive collaborative care and education. The Center's director, Dr. David Miklowitz (currently at UCLA), is an internationally-renowned researcher, clinician and author whose work focuses on family environmental factors and family treatments for adult-onset and childhood-onset bipolar disorder. Dr. Alisha Brosse, associate director, handles the Center’s daily activities, trains graduate students, leads therapy groups and teaches a seminar series on bipolar disorder for the general public. There are currently three graduate students also on staff. To donate or volunteer, contact Rachel Cruz at 720-635-6563, or for online donations, go to http://rdsfoundation.org/support/types-of-donations. For assistance with diagnosis, treatment, referrals, etc., call 303-492-5680 or see http://rdsfoundation.org –Amanda Misiak The alumni newsletter for the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience is published biannually and distributed to all alumni. Editorial Staff Credits Managing Editor: Alicia Segal Technical Support: Ernie Mross, Jon Roberts Editors: Theresa D. Hernández, Jon Roberts, Printing: Dynamic Designs Printing Alicia Segal, Michael Wertheimer E-mail: [email protected] Writers: Amanda Misiak, Alicia Segal 2 ! Spring 2016 CASL: A New Initiative in Affective Science (continued from page 1) Affective science is known to promote their future careers most basically as the study of in the field. As part of that pro- human emotion, but those in gram, the CASL team is working various areas of psychology on a formal curriculum of the approach that study from dif- study of human emotions, de- ferent, though often overlap- veloping more in-depth courses ping, perspectives. Clinical psy- on both undergraduate and chologists approach affective graduate levels. One of the an- science with an eye on mental ticipated courses, Happiness, health and psychopathology; Psychology and Philosophy, will affective disorders, emotion be taught with two philosophy regulation and more recently, professors, in alignment with positive emotion, may be em- CASL’s emphasis on an interdis- phasized. Social psychologists ciplinary approach. Professor focus on how social experience Gruber is also working on iden- affects emotion, and on the tifying grant and fellowship social function of emotions; Assistant Professor June Gruber, one of CASL’s founders, funding opportunities for stu- giving a TEDx talk on “The Dark Side of Happiness” at there may be an interest in top- TEDxCambridge. dents and their research projects. ics such as stereotyping and The student response to CASL prejudice as well as cultural or gender differences in has been strong and positive. Graduate students in our emotion. Cognitive psychologists are concerned with department who identify affective science as their par- how emotion impacts cognition and vice versa; the in- ticular area of interest are thrilled to have this initiative terplay of affect and cognitive processes such as mem- in their own backyard. Maggie Tobias, a first-year ory, decision-making, attention and cognitive reap- graduate student in Professor Gruber’s lab, plans to do praisal are often examined. Researchers in each of these her own research on the interaction between cognition areas also use findings from neuroimaging and the neu- and emotion, focusing on cognitive bias in relation to rosciences to better understand the relationship be- positive emotion and psychopathology. From her per- tween the brain and affective states. spective, having access to faculty, research and study At CU-Boulder, students in all areas of psychology groups specifically about affective science is a dream who are interested in CASL and the field of affective come true. “CASL has been a fantastic experience,” she science can choose from several psychology classes says. “When friends ask me about grad school, I tell already in place: Human Emotion, a large undergradu- them that I finally get to study what I care about. I get ate class attracting over 200 students, taught by Profes- to talk to a diverse group of really smart people about a sor Gruber, and three graduate-level classes (Affective topic I’m really interested in. At the CASL